Never underestimate the power of TikTok slideshows to steer you towards good music. While it’s typically believed that building your music taste based on what an app deems as popular is shallow, I am here to tell you that it is totally NOT. Things become popular because they are good and people appreciate them. It doesn’t mean you have bad taste if you love what everyone else loves.
I say this because I, like many others, have found an amazing new band all thanks to TikTok: The Last Dinner Party. The Last Dinner Party is a British art-rock band that has been the background music of my life for the past couple of weeks. Their hit single “Nothing Matters” reminded me of the eccentric sound of MARINA (formerly known as Marina and the Diamonds), and I instantly was intrigued.
So… Let me put y’all on some of my favorite songs by them:
“nothing matters”
I HAD to start with this banger. You’ve definitely heard this one on TikTok, but it stays goated. It’s about two people who have a really exciting connection, but the speaker wants more out of it. However, the speaker is willing to give it all to them regardless, adopting a “screw it” mentality. It’s a little perverse and a little subversive, but that’s why we love it.
The actual meaning of the song is up for interpretation, mainly because of the chorus: “And you can hold me like he held her / And I will have you like nothing matters”. Nobody really knows who they’re referring to, but there are some ideas; some suggest that the speaker is referring to them and their lovers’ cheating partners in a revenge-sex kind of way. The other interpretation is that they’re imagining their love as something cinematic and are referring to a movie or story. Regardless, this song is so insanely catchy and I love it so much. It runs my life.
“the feminine urge”
From a first listen, you definitely wouldn’t be able to tell this song is about generational trauma between mothers and daughters. “The Feminine Urge” is such an electric, upbeat-sounding song I could for sure throw it back to, but the lyrics are so profound.
This song explores generational trauma amongst women, particularly how women are rendered to feel small by men who view them as objects. The speaker claims they feel a feminine urge to nurture their mother’s wounds, along with feeling a responsibility to become the type of mother to protect her daughter from an unkind world. The Last Dinner Party’s frontwoman Abigail Morris commented, “I think you get to a certain age as a woman where your mother suddenly becomes another woman, rather than being your mum”. The song is loaded with internal conflicts about whether or not it is ethical to raise a daughter in this type of world. In addition, it features some of the most beautiful imagery about Greek mythology that I’ve ever heard. Give this song a listen.
“caesar on a tv screen”
This banger is undoubtedly one of my favorites. “Caesar On A TV Screen” features a speaker that is finding validation through exhibiting strength, mirroring yet contradicting traditional masculinity. It tackles the desire to be loved and the desire to maintain strength, all while making fun of masculinity along the way. It is likewise loaded with allusions to Greek mythology, where the speaker compares themselves to Caesar and references the many ways tyrannical leaders have run us to the ground in the past.
Even if art-rock isn’t really your cup of tea typically, The Last Dinner Party will make you love it. Their songs are genuinely amazing, with profound lyrics and an upbeat sound that will be the perfect soundtrack for the upcoming spring season. Give The Last Dinner Party a listen and don’t be ashamed of loving TikTok music.